This Girl Forced to Become an Entertainment Company Boss

Chapter 144

Timetrain, now given free rein by the chief producer, has genuinely felt the temperature difference lately.

Their manager is even more anxious than the five members.

Previously enjoying a privileged position and Jiang's favoritism, he's now struggling to adapt to equal treatment.

It's like being a former royal favorite who suddenly lost the emperor's grace, and their work progress has become difficult as well.

He attributes all these problems to the five members, frequently calling them in for scolding, especially Gao Xiayu, who has become even more withdrawn recently.

"..."

In the Timetrain Team office area, everyone is buried in work at their computers, with only keyboard typing and occasional phone responses breaking the silence.

But one person's arrival disrupts this tranquility.

Timetrain's manager and head of business affairs storms to his workstation with large strides. The sound of his forceful arm movements, roughly pulling out his chair, and yanking off his work badge causes other employees to glance over.

Several junior staff sharing the same desk exchange knowing looks, all understanding what those glances mean.

"He must have been scolding the kids again."

"Can't stand him."

"He really loves taking his anger out on others."

Three employees who joined the company at the same time look at their phones and silently sigh.

Liu Yan is the first to grab her laptop and head to the small conference room, pretending to prepare for a meeting. The other two immediately catch on and follow with their computers.

Once in the conference room, they drop the act, but still check that the door is closed before speaking, "Can't take him anymore... He's always angry about something or other. I'll end up with breast nodules before he does."

The three sit at the table, keeping their voices low while pretending to work on their computers in case someone suddenly enters.

"I heard the kids have all actively requested to see psychologists recently."

"How could they not, being scolded like this every day."

Liu Yan also sighs deeply, "When I first learned why they fell out of Jiang's favor, I was also angry, truly disappointed, and said some things--" she tilts her head in confusion, "but do they really deserve a death sentence?"

Initially, when the temperature dropped, everyone was confused. Eventually, they understood the main reason was that the five members' future plans didn't align with the company's vision.

Gao Xiayu was just the trigger, and Ye Xing merely brought the issue to light.

At first, the three of them also criticized them, saying they weren't thinking clearly, but what's done is done, and they've recognized their mistakes. Everyone thought they should just follow the company's arrangements from now on, but old Zhang just won't let it go.

"... Is our team being cold-shouldered just because of those five? It's ridiculous how he just pushes blame onto others." One of them rolls her eyes, clearly long dissatisfied with old Zhang.

They know better than anyone that the internal problems of the operations team are far more serious than the five members' mistakes, but what can they do? They're just junior staff handling video materials; all decisions come from above.

The Timetrain Team leader, being in late pregnancy, was sent home by management to rest until delivery, so all decision-making power fell to second-in-command Zhang Quan.

In the two months since he took over, not only has the team atmosphere deteriorated, but the group has also faced consecutive issues.

"Does he look like someone who would realize the problems are all his fault?" Liu Yan sneers.

The other two snort coldly, with one lamenting, "The boss won't be back for four months. I can't take it anymore; I don't want to work here another day."

"I really don't understand. Gao Xiayu isn't even dating anyone, and Ye Xing ultimately didn't choose to become a director. The fans outside are perfectly happy. What is he so dissatisfied about, scolding people every day?"

"The chief eunuch suddenly lost power, he's feeling unbalanced," Liu Yan says sharply.

Another adds, "He's been scolding them for a month now. You'd think Gao Xiayu had a secret child or Ye Xing suddenly decided to become a monk and the fan circle collapsed."

"Scolding those two is one thing, but he scolds the other three too. Pei Luming got criticized just as badly as those two just because his phone number was leaked once due to having many friends. He's taking out advance loans on future troubles."

"He's not really worried about the five of them; he's worried about losing his own power."

After venting their mockery, the three feel somewhat better.

When the reason for their cold treatment first came out at the beginning of the year, the entire Timetrain Team was treated differently, with other employees speculating whether they had fallen from Jiang's grace.

Now the five Timetrain members and the operations team have regained their spirit, acknowledged past mistakes, and are ready to move forward, but old Zhang refuses to let go.

Especially as AIcho's performance improves, his ugly side becomes more apparent.

AIcho's completely different operational approach has carved out its own path, where individual IP takes precedence over everything, with the resulting popularity and attention flowing back to the group.

The public is interested in everything the four members wear, carry, and use. Business collaborations and endorsements keep coming in - in just two weeks, Pei Zhiping announced three new endorsements, and the group secured two more.

The level of commercialization has been very successful.

Mentioning AIcho reminds them of Zhang Quan's primary job.

"Ah... I know why he's been so irritable lately." As soon as she says this, the other two look at her.

"The only thing old Zhang was good at has been stolen by AIcho's team."

Zhang Quan is in charge of Timetrain's business collaborations, and his high position indicates he does have some skills.

Initially, he brought in the commercial deals for "21 Heartbeats of Youth" and "Time Train Countdown," and negotiated the platform collaborations.

He chose to join Timetrain himself, hoping to achieve great things, but ended up being overshadowed and became the team's second-in-command.

Recently, AIcho has become the darling of the advertising world, reportedly receiving numerous brand collaboration requests daily.

This used to be Timetrain's privilege.

Liu Yan mocks again: "Don't tell me he's going to blame his incompetence on others being too successful?"

"Isn't that what he always does?" the other two counter.

-

The last music festival was during Christmas, and the second one is scheduled for before the New Year, with only half a month left to prepare. While the situation with the other two groups is unclear, things aren't going well for Timetrain.

Only Yao Shuo and Chi Qiao are sitting in the practice room, both cross-legged on the floor with their heads down, clearly in low spirits.

The others have all left, and it's obvious where they've gone.

"...Let's get up and go over the chorus choreography," Yao Shuo suggests, hoping to help Chi Qiao change his mood by moving around.

Chi Qiao, still sitting there, shakes his head and sighs deeply. He looks up at Yao Shuo, "I'm worried about Gao Xiayu."

"..." Yao Shuo can't find any comforting words either, because he's worried too.

As the team leader, Gao Xiayu tends to overthink and is prone to anxiety, often blaming himself for problems.

Recently, with the constant scolding from their manager, his emotional state appears precarious, like glass that could shatter at any moment.

Just as the two are about to go check on him, the practice room door opens, and only Pei Luming and Ye Xing enter.

Both of them kept their heads down, their expressions hidden, but the atmosphere alone was enough to tell that they weren't in the best mood.

The reason the three of them got scolded was simple - their manager had seen them lying on the couch through the practice room's surveillance cameras.

In reality, they had been practicing all night. Instead of returning to their dorm, they had slept in the practice room, and probably hadn't gotten much rest. When he and Yao Shuo went back, they only slept for two hours, and when they left, the three were still practicing.

Not seeing Gao Xiayu, Chi Qiao asked, "Where's Brother Xiayu?"

Ye Xing shook his head, "In the vocal room."

They understood what that meant - Gao Xiayu had probably gone there to cry.

When Pei Luming came in, he didn't go near the couch but instead walked to the mirror and crouched down beside it.

He rubbed his face, saying nothing.

"Is he okay?" Yao Shuo asked, concerned.

Ye Xing shook his head again, "Looks like he's about to faint. Brother Xiayu barely ate anything yesterday and didn't sleep at night."

"Should we leave him alone there?"

"He's crying in there. It's good to let it out," Chi Qiao patted Yao Shuo's shoulder, sighed, and walked to the computer to prepare for practice.

This floor housed practice rooms exclusively for artists, and despite being separated by just a wall, the atmosphere was completely different.

For their upcoming music festival performance, the three members of Equals3 were "letting loose" in their practice room, singing into microphones and jumping around, simulating audience interaction.

Two cameras were set up in the practice room to capture behind-the-scenes footage.

After practicing all morning and jumping non-stop, their clothes were soaked with sweat. Jiang Wangran, uncomfortable in his wet clothes, had even taken off his shirt.

Their bangs were matted with both sweat and water they had sprinkled on themselves.

After finishing one section, Chen Wu collapsed on the floor, unable to get up, clutching an oxygen tank, while Sang Mo, breathing heavily, joined Jiang Wangran by the camera to check their facial expressions.

"Hair's completely wet."

"Not just the hair, my under-" Before Jiang Wangran could finish, Sang Mo covered his mouth, saying, "Sometimes fans don't need to know everything."

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

"Sang Mo, be honest, were you checking him out?"

"Why did they have to censor Jiang Wangran's body?"

"Looks like Chen Wu could pass out any minute."

The footage was filmed in the morning and posted in the afternoon. In the first half, Jiang Wangran was properly dressed, but in the second half, the editors had drawn clothes on him.

"You know what, the drawn clothes look pretty realistic."

"Damn, I saved a week's worth of content to watch, and Jiang Wangran drew me in."

"Perfect, let's do this at the music festival too, we'll automatically censor it in our minds."

Jiang Wangran and Sang Mo were both very tall, and while Chen Wu was over 180cm, he was still shorter than them. Ironically, he had to stand in the middle of the group formation, forcing Chen Wu, at 184cm, to wear insoles.

After practice, Jiang Wangran, like a playful puppy, and Sang Mo, like a border collie, went to tease Chen Wu, dragging him in front of the camera.

"Say bye-bye to the little fans," they coaxed him like parents with a child.

From this angle, Chen Wu looked like a child being held by his parents to greet relatives.

Though he wanted to hit them both, he obediently waved and said goodbye to the fans.

Influenced by Jiang Wangran, Sang Mo had become less reserved than before, joking with Chen Wu: "Say goodbye to your big brothers and sisters."

"Sang Mo, Jiang Wangran--!!!"

Knowing he would explode, the two ran away, with the editors adding a caption above their mischievous heads.

[Satisfaction achieved]

"Hahahahahahahaha I can't stop laughing"

"You really can't watch their videos while eating, I spat everything out."

"Ahhh I love our trio! See you tomorrow!"

"The best trio in the world! (Self-proclaimed)"

What seemed like it would be a mismatched trio turned out to have great chemistry, creating a positive group dynamic that made for an enjoyable fan experience.

Unlike other groups that fans could only see through commercial endorsements, Equals3 provided abundant content daily - skip watching for two or three days and you'd have over a dozen videos to catch up on.

This fan culture attracted many people, with many drawn in by funny clips online, but after watching a few behind-the-scenes videos, they became devoted fans of the group.

While fans of Timetrain and AIcho were at odds with each other, Equals3's fans remained cheerfully independent, staying out of conflicts.

Random Entertainment's three groups commanded seventy percent of the idol fandom. If three groups were already causing such excitement, what would happen next?

"Title: Entertainment News Update - Confirmed: Jiang Juyou is going!"

"The company lists for both finals have been confirmed, and Jiang Juyou is attending both!"

"There's another male idol survival show coming up, and word is Random Entertainment is sending contestants."

"Ahhhh! I can't imagine how exciting the domestic idol scene is going to be!"

"Is this really our entertainment industry? No way! Oh my god, as a fan, I'm dying of happiness!"

Equals3 fans: What are they even arguing about...